It’s just Monday but our laundry basket is already half-full. Remember, it’s not 24 hours yet since Raine and I moved into our new house. Medyo mahilg lang talaga kami magbihis mag-ina!

I keep telling my mother to get a new (good) labandera since our washing machine broke down a year ago or so. However no labandera has yet to pass my mother’s laundry standards. (Magaling lang sya talaga maglaba at wala pang pumapasa sa kanya so far. Either amoy bleach at pati de-color ay pumuti na…o kaya naman eh amoy pawis pa kahit nalabhan at natuyo an sa araw ang labada.)

I used to be my family’s labandera since my mother got pregant with the twins (1987) and it lasted until I left in 2009 in time for my freshman college year. So then my laundry days went on to ollege days. At least merong laundry area na may mga lababo di tulad sa barrio that I had to go down a hill to get to the water source. Then back again when I’m done. Most of the time it was already 4 pm magsasampay pa lang ako. That happened on weekends wherein I had to start before 6 am!

Then later in college, I found a good laundry woman and then another good one when I was already working. What a bliss right when you are able to pay someone already to do the laundry for you. Then I bought my own washing machine before Raine was born. Before that I was able to use my housemates’ washing machine.

I told myself long ago…I’ll never do the laundry again. I’ve had enough that will last me three lifetimes. Ive got deep scars in the fingers to prove it. That…and broken shoulder blades! (Madalas ako sumemplang pababa sa hill kasi flat-footed ako!)

But then I still do the laundry from time to time these days. I gotta do my own intimates right?

Oh well…I think it is time to buy my mother a new washing machine! The term gloria labandera just have a different meaning to me that’s not just literal. ;) It was also a time and place when my world was so small i never even thought that I’d get out of it.